scholarly journals Tracking changes and preventing loss in critical tiger habitat

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. e1501675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anup R. Joshi ◽  
Eric Dinerstein ◽  
Eric Wikramanayake ◽  
Michael L. Anderson ◽  
David Olson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Source Population ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
The Status ◽  
Tiger Population ◽  
Monitoring Technologies ◽  
New Applications ◽  
Global Population

The global population of wild tigers remains dangerously low at fewer than 3500 individuals. Habitat loss, along with poaching, can undermine the international target recovery of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022. Using a new satellite-based monitoring system, we analyzed 14 years of forest loss data within the 76 landscapes (ranging from 278 to 269,983 km2) that have been prioritized for conservation of wild tigers. Our analysis provides an update of the status of tiger habitat and describes new applications of technology to detect precisely where forest loss is occurring in order to curb future habitat loss. Across the 76 landscapes, forest loss was far less than anticipated (79,597 ± 22,629 km2, 7.7% of remaining habitat) over the 14-year study period (2001–2014). Habitat loss was unevenly distributed within a subset of 29 landscapes deemed most critical for doubling wild tiger populations: 19 showed little change (1.5%), whereas 10 accounted for more than 98% (57,392 ± 16,316 km2) of habitat loss. Habitat loss in source population sites within 76 landscapes ranged from no loss to 435 ± 124 km2 (x¯=24km2, SD = 89, total = 1676 ± 476 km2). Doubling the tiger population by 2022 requires moving beyond tracking annual changes in habitat. We highlight near–real-time forest monitoring technologies that provide alerts of forest loss at relevant spatial and temporal scales to prevent further erosion.

scholarly journals Impairment of microbial and meiofaunal ecosystem functions linked to algal forest loss

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Bianchelli ◽  
Roberto Danovaro
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Ecosystem Functioning ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Higher Taxa ◽  
Vulnerable Habitats ◽  
Nematode Biodiversity ◽  
Barren Grounds

AbstractHabitat loss is jeopardizing marine biodiversity. In the Mediterranean Sea, the algal forests of Cystoseira spp. form one of the most complex, productive and vulnerable shallow-water habitats. These forests are rapidly regressing with negative impact on the associated biodiversity, and potential consequences in terms of ecosystem functioning. Here, by comparing healthy Cystoseira forests and barren grounds (i.e., habitats where the macroalgal forests disappeared), we assessed the effects of habitat loss on meiofaunal and nematode biodiversity, and on some ecosystem functions (here measured in terms of prokaryotic and meiofaunal biomass). Overall, our results suggest that the loss of Cystoseira forests and the consequent barren formation is associated with the loss of meiofaunal higher taxa and a decrease of nematode biodiversity, leading to the collapse of the microbial and meiofaunal variables of ecosystem functions. We conclude that, given the very limited resilience of these ecosystems, active restoration of these vulnerable habitats is needed, in order to recover their biodiversity, ecosystem functions and associated services.

scholarly journals Omics Meeting Onics: Towards the Next Generation of Spectroscopic-Based Technologies in Personalized Medicine

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weng Peng ◽  
Daniele Paesani
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Personalized Medicine ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Omics Technologies ◽  
The Future ◽  
Monitoring Technologies ◽  
New Applications

This article aims to discuss the recent development of integrated point-of-care spectroscopic-based technologies that are paving the way for the next generation of diagnostic monitoring technologies in personalized medicine. Focusing on the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technologies as the leading example, we discuss the emergence of -onics technologies (e.g., photonics and electronics) and how their coexistence with -omics technologies (e.g., genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) can potentially change the future technological landscape of personalized medicine. The idea of an open-source (e.g., hardware and software) movement is discussed, and we argue that technology democratization will not only promote the dissemination of knowledge and inspire new applications, but it will also increase the speed of field implementation.

A taxonomic review of the Golden-green Woodpecker, Piculus chrysochloros (Aves: Picidae) reveals the existence of six valid taxa

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3626 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
GLAUCIA DEL-RIO ◽  
LUÍS FÁBIO SILVEIRA ◽  
VAGNER CAVARZERE ◽  
MARCO ANTONIO RÊGO
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Individual Variation ◽  
Valid Species ◽  
Morphometric Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Species ◽  
The Status ◽  
Lowland Forests ◽  
Southern Amazonia

Piculus chrysochloros (Vieillot 1818) is a species of woodpecker that ranges from Argentina to Panama, occurring in lowland forests as well as Cerrado, Caatinga and Chaco vegetation. Currently, nine subspecies are accepted, but no study has evaluated individual variation within populations, so the status of these taxa remains uncertain. Here we review the taxonomy and distribution of this species, based on morphological and morphometric data from 267 specimens deposited in ornithological collections. Our results suggest the existence of six unambiguous taxonomic units that can be treated as phylogenetic species: Piculus xanthochloros (Sclater & Salvin 1875), from northwestern South America; Piculus capistratus (Malherbe 1862), from northern Amazonia west to the Branco River; Piculus laemostictus Todd 1937, from southern Amazonia; Piculus chrysochloros (Vieillot 1818), from the Cerrado, Caatinga and Chaco; Piculus paraensis (Snethlage 1907) from the Belém Center of Endemism; and Piculus polyzonus (Valenciennes 1826) from the Atlantic Forest. Both Brazilian endemics (P. polyzonus and P. paraensis) are threatened due to habitat loss. In addition, we found one undescribed form from the Tapajós-Tocantins interfluve, now under study, that may prove to be a valid species once more specimens and other data become available.

scholarly journals Which is worse for the red-billed curassow: habitat loss or hunting pressure?

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Elaine Rios ◽  
Philip J. K. McGowan ◽  
Nigel J. Collar ◽  
Maíra Benchimol ◽  
Gustavo R. Canale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Forest Patches ◽  
Hunting Pressure ◽  
North East ◽  
Forest Remnants ◽  
The Status ◽  
Patch Density

Abstract Large ground-dwelling Neotropical gamebirds are highly threatened by habitat loss and hunting, but conservationists rarely attempt to distinguish between these two threats in the management of populations. We used three different types of species records to determine the status (i.e. persistence level) of the Endangered red-billed curassow Crax blumenbachii in 14 forest remnants in north-east Brazil, as either persistent, precarious or extirpated. We related these persistence levels to variables measured in a 2-km buffer radius, including variables associated with habitat quality (proportion of forest cover, length of rivers, patch density, distance from rivers) and hunting pressure (proportion of cacao agroforests and farmlands, length of roads, total area occupied by settlements, distance from roads and from settlements). Curassows were more persistent in forest patches located (1) more distant from settlements, (2) in landscapes with few settlements, (3) in landscapes with a high incidence of roads, (4) in a mosaic with a high proportion of forest, shaded cacao agroforest and farmland, and (5) more distant from other forest patches. Hunting pressure potentially exerts more influence on persistence than habitat quality: (1) hunting pressure submodels had a higher explanatory power than habitat quality submodels, (2) final models comprised four hunting pressure variables but only two habitat quality variables, and (3) hunting pressure variables appeared in all models whereas habitat quality variables appeared in only one final model. If hunting pressure is driving declines in curassows, regions with low human presence and a high proportion of forest cover are recommended for establishing new reserves.

scholarly journals Drivers of Forest Loss in a Megadiverse Hotspot on the Pacific Coast of Colombia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1235
Author(s):  
Jesús A. Anaya ◽  
Víctor H. Gutiérrez-Vélez ◽  
Ana M. Pacheco-Pascagaza ◽  
Sebastián Palomino-Ángel ◽  
Natasha Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Forest Change ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Status ◽  
Land Cover Map ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
Insight Into

Tropical forests are disappearing at unprecedented rates, but the drivers behind this transformation are not always clear. This limits the decision-making processes and the effectiveness of forest management policies. In this paper, we address the extent and drivers of deforestation of the Choco biodiversity hotspot, which has not received much scientific attention despite its high levels of plant diversity and endemism. The climate is characterized by persistent cloud cover which is a challenge for land cover mapping from optical satellite imagery. By using Google Earth Engine to select pixels with minimal cloud content and applying a random forest classifier to Landsat and Sentinel data, we produced a wall-to-wall land cover map, enabling a diagnosis of the status and drivers of forest loss in the region. Analyses of these new maps together with information from illicit crops and alluvial mining uncovered the pressure over intact forests. According to Global Forest Change (GFC) data, 2324 km2 were deforested in this area from 2001 to 2018, reaching a maximum in 2016 and 2017. We found that 68% of the area is covered by broadleaf forests (67,473 km2) and 15% by shrublands (14,483 km2), the latter with enormous potential to promote restoration projects. This paper provides a new insight into the conservation of this exceptional forest with a discussion of the drivers of forest loss, where illicit crops and alluvial mining were found to be responsible for 60% of forest loss.

scholarly journals A population survey of the estuarine crocodile in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar

Oryx ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Thorbjarnarson ◽  
Steven G. Platt ◽  
U. Saw Tun Khaing
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Population Survey ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Wildlife Sanctuary ◽  
Coastal Regions ◽  
The Status ◽  
Crocodylus Porosus

AbstractThe estuarine crocodile Crocodylus porosus was formerly abundant in coastal regions of Myanmar, but is now known principally from the lower Ayeyarwady Delta. We conducted a survey during January 1999 to assess quantitatively the status of crocodile populations in protected areas of the lower delta. Spotlight counts were conducted along 275.4 km of waterways. Sixty-one crocodiles (50 juveniles, 4 subadults, 2 adults and 5 eyeshines) were observed in the Meinmahla Kyun Wildlife Sanctuary (MKWS), and the total population was estimated to be less than 100. The Kadônkani and Pyindaye Reserved Forests (RF) apparently no longer support viable populations. Although crocodiles remain critically endangered in the region, a comparison with survey data from 1980 suggests localized recovery is occurring in MKWS. Population declines are attributed to a combination of commercial skin hunting, habitat loss, drowning in fishing nets and over-collection of living animals to supply crocodile farms. A programme of law enforcement, habitat protection and head-starting juveniles is necessary to ensure the continued survival of estuarine crocodiles in the Ayeyarwady Delta.

scholarly journals Threatened primates in southern Vietnam

Oryx ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 146-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan C. Eames ◽  
Craig R. Robson
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Hunting Pressure ◽  
Southern Vietnam ◽  
The Status ◽  
Pygathrix Nemaeus ◽  
Rich Fauna ◽  
Human Encroachment

Vietnam's exceptionally rich fauna is threatened by habitat loss and hunting. Although a system of protected areas has recently been developed, many of the sites selected are subject to human encroachment, hunting pressure and other forms of exploitation. Other protected areas may be too small to hold viable populations of primates. Following faunal surveys of existing and proposed protected areas in Vietnam between 1988 and 1991, this paper documents the status of and identifies threats to three species of threatened primate: white-cheeked gibbon Hylobates leucogenys gabriellae, red-shanked douc langur Pygathrix nemaeus and blackshanked douc langur P. nigripes.

scholarly journals The status of the Fuerteventura Stonechat Saxicola dacotiae: a new evaluation using distance sampling and GIS

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
EDUARDO GARCIA-DEL-REY
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Distance Sampling ◽  
Monitoring Programme ◽  
Population Estimate ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
North West ◽  
Mountain Ranges ◽  
Island Endemic ◽  
Western Palearctic ◽  
The Status

SummaryThe status of the ‘Endangered’ Fuerteventura Stonechat Saxicola dacotiae, a western Palearctic single island endemic, was assessed 22 years after the first population estimate of 1,300–1,700 individuals was made by Bibby and Hill (1987). Using GIS and Distance Sampling methodologies, the population on Fuerteventura in 2008 was estimated at 1,035 birds (832–1,287) with the species more abundant on hillsides than in gullies. Within the island's three main massifs (i.e. north, west and south) the highest encounter rate was recorded in the northern massif. This study supports the category of ‘Endangered’ for this species, which does face the obvious threat from development, particularly in the south of the island. The species is also on the endangered list nationally (Spain) and in Europe but has not as yet been evaluated by the Canarian Government. I suggest, based on results of this study, that serious effort should be put in to improving knowledge of the distribution range of this endemic (either by modelling or by systematic visits to sites). An official monitoring programme should be developed and implemented with special attention paid to the three main mountain ranges of this island and particularly to the southern massif which is suffering the highest rate of habitat loss.

scholarly journals Trash or Treasure? Considerations for Future Ecological Research to Inform Oil and Gas Decommissioning

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Lise Schläppy ◽  
Lucy M. Robinson ◽  
Victoria Camilieri-Asch ◽  
Karen Miller
Keyword(s):  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Temporal Scales ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
The Status ◽  
Near Future

Numerous oil and gas (O&G) installations worldwide will need to be decommissioned in the near future. Complete removal of subsea structures is often the default approach although some regions retain structures under rigs-to-reefs programs. Here, we reviewed the published literature to understand the status of global research on decommissioning, and specifically identify gaps in ecological knowledge. We estimated the frequency of different research categories (i.e., themes, and spatial/temporal scales), and tested the assumption that the number of papers across the categories of each research aspect was even in distribution. However, the frequency of studies focusing on biodiversity at a local (≤100 km2) scale (relative to regional and oceanic and pan-oceanic scales) were significantly higher; while other theme categories (e.g., eco-toxicology, connectivity, structural-integrity, restoration and other) were significantly lower than expected. Temporally, ≤1-year studies were more frequent than multi-year studies, but these frequencies did not significantly deviate from the assumed distribution of equal frequencies. We propose that further research be carried out to evaluate the benefits of both retention and removal of structures. Ecological research on decommissioning should extend its focus beyond biodiversity, to include eco-toxicology, structural-integrity, connectivity at larger spatial and temporal scales. This would provide a more holistic assessment of ecological impacts to inform sustainable and equitable development choices in multiple Blue Economy sectors, as we transition from offshore O&G to marine renewables.

scholarly journals Water Scarcity and Wastewater Reuse in Crop Irrigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9055
Author(s):  
Nicoleta Ungureanu ◽  
Valentin Vlăduț ◽  
Gheorghe Voicu
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Untreated Wastewater ◽  
The Status ◽  
Global Population ◽  
Global Food ◽  
Made In ◽  
Crop Irrigation

Due to climate change, two-thirds of mankind will face water scarcity by 2025, while by 2050, global food production must increase by at least 50% to feed 9 billion people. To overcome water scarcity, 15 million m3/day of untreated wastewater is used globally for crop irrigation, polluting the soil with pathogens, heavy metals and excess salts. Since 10% of the global population consumes food from crops irrigated with wastewater, pathogens transmitted through the food chain cause diseases especially in young children and women. In this paper, we discuss the status of water scarcity and the challenges to food security, the reuse of wastewater in agriculture and the possible risks to human and environmental health. The efficiency of different irrigation systems in limiting the risks of wastewater reuse and the latest regulations of the European Commission on effluent recovery are also presented. Hence, we emphasize that irrigation offers real perspectives for large-scale recovery of wastewater, helping to reduce the deficit and conserve water resources, and increasing food safety, with the express mention that investments must be made in wastewater treatment plants and wastewater must be properly treated before recovery, to limit the risks on human health and the environment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document